Knockdown arrangement of bath compartments and accessories



Nov. 8, 1949 .1. H. BOWER 2,487,515

KNOCKDOWN ARRANGEMENT OF BATH COMPARTMENTS AND ACCESSORIES Filed Sept. 7, 1946 Invem'or,

Patented Nov. 8, 1949 KNOCKDOWN ARRANGEMENT OF BATH GOMPARTMENTS AND ACCESSORIES John H. Bower, Broderick, Calif. Application September 7, 1946, Serial No. 695,449

9 Glaims. (Cl. 4-146) invention relates to bathing apparatus; especially to shower-bath compartments and accessories; and, more specifically, to a knock down arrangement of bath-compartments and accessories with means to detachably secure various elements of the apparatus together in a unit.

One object of this invention is to improve upon certain features that are shown, but not claimed, in my patent application No. 436,226, filed July 26, 1943, Patent issued and numbered 2,409,187; also to provide bath-compartments that are adapted for use in connection with shampoobowls such as claimed and allowed in said Patent No. 2,409,187, as well as for use with showerequipment.

Another object is to provide compartmentwalls with attaching and securing means that can be very quickly and easily inter-engaged or inter-latched without use of any tool or extrinsic means other than human hands and moderate mental ability; thereby to secure said walls in their normal radial or angular relation to one another.

Another object is to provide individual footbath pans for the respective bath-compartments, for best sanitary results and maximum convenience; also to interengage each pan with two adjoining walls of its bath-compartment in a proper relation to perform the dual functions of shedding water from each wall into the pan 'and of cooperating with the above-mentioned attaching and securing means so as to minimize the chance of any element of the apparatus becoming detached accidentally.

Another object is to provide compartmentwalls of different thicknesses and other details of construction; also to provide wall-securing devices of various constructions; thereby 2 meet various requirements and/or desires of users, according to the circumstances as to private home use, for use in public dressing and undressing rooms, or out-door use at bathing resorts etc.

Other objects and important features are pointed out or implied in the following details of description, in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing the normal positions of three of the compartment-walls with respect to one another, to the foot-bath pans, and to the water-serving means; the fourth one of these walls being displaced slightly outward from its normal position so as to show its latchlng means or pipe-engaging and restraining means in full lines and in a proper position to be interengaged with the adjacent substantially horizontal shower supply pipes of the waterserving means when moved to its normal position; this view also showing, in dot-dash lines, the position of an outwardly bowed door for use by an unusually large or comment person when taking a bath in privacy; such bowed door to be substituted for one of the plane doors when necessary.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, showing two of the compartment-wallacne of same having an outer door hinged thereon and in such open position that only its outer or near edge is showing; the other compartment-wall being shown with lnterlapped closet doors; and here it should be understood that each of the walls of this form are hollow so as to be adapted to receive and protect (from moisture) any articles of clothing the bather chooses to doll. before starting to bathe, also to contain towels, soap and other bathing needs.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged erspective view of one form of latching and restraining means such as is shown on the inner end of the lower-left wall that is slightly displaced from normal position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental detail plan view of two inner ends of hollow walls equipped with mutually inter-engaging latches for detachably securing such walls to one another.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing two enlarged interengageable restrainers or latches such as obscurely shown in Fig. 4,- the left one of these latches being in a position for sliding rightward into inter-engagement with the notch of the latch at the right.

Fig. 6 is a central vertical sectional view of a four-legged bowl which may be used for con taining aquatic plants and/or fish etc., but which is primarily intended as one form of means to interengage with appropriate openings or other keepers in or on the tops of the compartment walls; however, this form to be used where the height of the walls is'substantially the same as the height of the water-serving device at the middle portion of the latter, so that it serves a third purpose, viz to prevent things from falling or going into and around the tubular upright that stabilizes the water-supply pipes of the water-serving means.

Fig. 7 is an edge view of a thinner compartment-wall thanthose of Figs. 1, 2 and 4, in connection with adjoining low walls of two foot bath pans which are shown in vertical sectiom a portion broken out for lack of space to show its entire height.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of four triangular foot-bath pans arranged with their inwardly converging walls in contiguity so the contiguous pairs of these Walls can be straddled by the lower edges of a high compartment-wall such as that shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to these drawings in detail, in which, similar reference numerals refer to similar parts in the several views, the invention is described in detail, with its several modifications, as follows: I

First it should be understood that the waterserving means comprises upright and substantially horizontal pipe-sections shown at I B and II, connected by a. cross-coupling I2, terminating in shower-outlets l3, and provided with individual valves I4 to be grasped and turned by the respective occupants of the pans l5 and compartments, which latter are formed by the compartment-walls H5 or l6a; the shower outlets I3 being normally over the pans l5 and near the level of the top of the high walls IE or lGa, so they are above the heads of bathers of average adult heights. However, this conventional form of water-serving means may well be replaced by means to serve hot and cold water, either in the form shown in Fig. 8 of Patent No. 2,409,187, or by other appropriate means.

The pipe I may be connected to any appropriate source of hot, cold or tempered water, and may extend up thru a floor or other appropriate base on which is preferably, though not essentially, secured a tubular standard I! whose horizontal flange I'Ia is secured by screws or other appropriate means to the floor or base; and the upper end of this standard I1 is apertured or recessed to receive the substantially horizontal pipe-sections H; and these pipe-sections ll, being thus stabilized, but being somewhat springy,

are cooperative with the latching or restraining devices l8 for securing the respective man-high walls (to which the devices l8 are attached) in their normal and proper right-angled relation to one another and in radial relation to the water-pipe l 0 and standard l1. By the term manhigh is meant, substantially as high as is the average height of men.

However, if the standard I! is dispensed with or omitted, the restraining means l8 can well be replaced by the straining means [9 and/or the restraining means 20 (Figs. 4, and 6); and openings 2! are provided to receive the four legs of the three-purpose element 20, so it can be used by those who are willing to pay th additional cost.

Moreover, the walls 16a are restrained by the proximity of their lower-front edges to the front or outer low walls l5a as well as by the convergent low Walls I51), inasmuch as these lower edges are seated on the bottoms of adjoining pans l5, and inasmuch as each pan is detachably secured in place by its outlet-pipe I50 that normally fits into an opening in the floor or base (not shown); but.the convergent low walls I5d (Figs. 1 and 2) are higher than the front low walls of the respective pans, and the man-high compartment-walls do not rest on the bottoms of the pans, but are provided with water-shedding flanges 22 that overlie the convergent flanges or low walls l5d, and extend down far enough to shed the water from the manhigh walls into the pan, but not far enough to interfere with the walls [6 being slid into and out of normal positions when released from the restraining means l8, l9 and/or 20. However: The interengaged flanges 22 and convergent walls l5d cooperate to prevent radially-outward movement of the respective pans, also to prevent accidental lateral movement of the respective manhigh walls I6; or cooperate with the restraining means [8, is or for so preventing.

Each of the walls l6 has several advantages over the thinner and less expensive pan-walls [6a, as follows: First, each wall [6 can stand alone on a level or approximately level surface, and can be slid into and out of its normal position without toppling or leaning; second, when the inner corners of the four man-high walls are adjoining one another, they provide ample enclosed spaced to accommodate the water-serving means and the stabilizer I1; and third, each one provides ample internal space that is sheltered from water that is splashed from the bathers; so each bathers towels, bath-robe, mirror, shoes or slippers and/or other articles of apparel and toilet can be kept in readiness for use immediately upon completing a bath; and so each compartment, when provided with an outer door 23 or 23a and inner door or doors as at 24, constitutes not only a bathing compartment, but also a dressing and undressing chamber; and though no locks are shown and claimed for any of the doors, it is quite evident that locks can be provided therefor if desirable in specific cases; also for each drawer .25 in which numerous articles can be kept handy. One important purpose of the drawers 25 is to provide hand-holds, viz., the upper margin of each drawer-opening to be grasped for pulling the respective man-high walls l6 loose from their restraining means or latches I 8 or [9 when dismembering this knock-down combination, as when it is to be moved from one location to another; for instance, when a family moves from one summer-camp or resort to another, and desires to have a separate bath-compartment or bathing and dressing chamber for each member of the family.

The usual splashing consequent to a showerbath does not affect the floor or other objects external to each compartment that has an outer door 23, because, as seen at upper and left sides of Fig. 1, the doors 23 over-hang the low front walls lfia of the respective pans, so water is shed from the doors 23 into the pans.

Inasmuch as each pan is a counterpart of the other pans, and each wall I 6 with its latching or restraining elements is a counterpart of the other walls 6'6 and elements I8, there is no need of selecting certain of these elements for certain positions; so, in most cases, all the information necessary for assembling the parts in normal positions can be obtained from a clear picture of the assemblage similar to that of Fig. 1 in these drawings.

Where the complements of four bath-compartments is beyond requirements, in any case, and where room is not available for such complement, one of the walls It and two of the pans 15 can be eliminated, also, two of the pipe-sections ll thereby reducing the required floor-space by approximately one-half; so the sub-combination thus obtained by reduction is useful independently of the eliminated elements.

I have no intention to limit my patent-protec tion to the precise details of construction and arrangement described in the foregoing and shown in the figures of drawings; for the invention is susceptible of numerous changes within the scope of the inventive ideas as implied and claimed.

My invention is claimed as follows:

1. In a knock-down arrangement of bathcompartments and accessories, the combination of a water-serving means operable-to supply water to each of said compartments, man-high walls normally arranged in radially disposed ree laticn to said water-serving means, and latching means to restrain each of said man-high walls against accidental displacement and to permit each of said man-high walls to be removed independently of the other man-high walls and water serving means without the use of any mechanical device or tool, said latching means being movable into and out of latching relation by moving the respective man-high Walls horizontally without lifting or lowering any one of said man-high walls.

2. In the combination defined by claim 1, said latching means being normally in restraining but yielding engagement with said water-serving means in a proper relation to permit each wall to be horizontally movable for unlatching it while separating it from its companion walls and water-serving means.

3. In the combination defined by claim 1, said latching means comprising a combined covering and securing unit normally in a proper position to cover the central part of said water-serving means and overlie adjacent end-portions of said man-high walls and engage with the latter in a proper relation to restrain the Walls against movement away from one-another.

4. The combination defined by claim 1, and foot-pans in the respective bath-compartments and having convergent walls, said latching means comprising flanges united with the inner sides of said man-high walls and overlying the respective convergent Walls of said foot-pans in a proper relation to cooperate with said latching means in securing said foot-pans and man-high walls in their respective normal positions relative to one another.

5. An arrangement of bath-compartments and accessories comprising a water-supply device that includes an upright pipe having a substan tially horizontal extension that terminates in a shower-bath outlet, in combination with a waterreceiving foot-pan under said shower-bath outlet and having convergent low walls, two manhigh walls substantially at right-angles to one another and having normally contiguous ends normally restrained against accidental movement from one another, and flanges united with said man-high walls and normally projecting laterally and downwardly over said convergent low walls and constituting means in a proper relation to shed water from said man-high walls into said pan and to secure said pan and man-high walls against accidental movement away from one another.

6. In a knock-down arrangement of bathing facilities, the combination of at least two manhigh walls normally disposed in angular relation to one another and having contiguous ends provided with means to detachably secure them in 6 their normal upright positions in which they provide at least one walled space as a bath-compartment, and at least one foot-pan having convergent walls normally engaged respectively with the lower portions of said man-high walls and constituting means in a proper relation to receive water that may be shed from said manhigh walls and to prevent accidental lateral movement of the man-high walls with respect to said pan, said man-high walls being manually movable horizontally out of engagement with said convergent walls when dismembering said knock-down arrangement.

7. In a knock-down arrangement of bathing compartments and accessories for use with a water-serving means that includes two shower.- outlets, the combination of two water-receiving pans normally under said shower-outlets, each of these pans having low convergent walls normally contiguous to said water-serving means, and three man-high walls normally'convergent with respect to one another and provided with water-shedding portions normally in overlying engagement with one of said low convergent walls of each of said two pans constitute means in a proper relation to divert water from said man-high walls into said pans and to prevent accidental lateral movement of said man-high walls relative to said pans, said man-high walls being adapted to be manually moved horizontally out of engagement with said pans for dismembering said knock-down arrangement.

8. In the combination defined by claim '7, each of said pans having an outer wall united with said convergent walls and constitute means in the paths of outward movement of said manhigh walls so the latter cannot accidentally move outward but can be moved horizontally outward when its outer end is lifted above said outer wall and then pulled outward.

9. In a knock-down arrangement of bath-facilities for use with a water-serving means, the combination of a foot-pan having an outlet-element extending down from its bottom and adapted to engage with a floor into which it normally extends in a proper relation to restrain said pan against bodily movement horizontally, and two man-high walls having their lower endportions provided with latching means to engage with said low walls in a proper relation to shed Water from the man-high walls into said pan and to cooperate with the latter for restraining said man-high walls against accidental movement horizontally, the upper ends of said man-high walls being provided with latching means to restrain said upper ends from being accidentally moved with respect to one another, said manhigh walls being manually releasable from restraint of both of said latching means and movable horizontally from said foot-pan and from one another.

JOHN H. BOWER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Mullett Sept. 16, 1941 

